Jessica's first Antelope hunt..............
Hiker
10/28/06 5:04pm
Our Wyoming Antelope hunt.
This was Jessica's first hunt. Meredith & I had a great time with her and our good Christian friends Dave and Sally. We stayed with Dave and Sally at their house and hunted their and their neighbors land. Sally cooked for us. She and Dave spoiled us the whole time we were there.
Photo # 1. This is Jessica's first buck, Yes, she killed the largest buck on the trip. That is exactly what her mother prayed for and God answered it. She was so excited and a true sport to stick with .....a true blessing to all of us and as Dave said, "she's a kick in the pants". We have been planning this hunt for a couple of years now and it was sure worth the wait.
Photo # 2. Jessica shot this doe at 351 yards, according to my rangefinder. She was using her Mom's 25-06, with 120 grain handloads, which were made by her "adopted" Great Grand Father Ernie, before he went to be with his Lord. I wanted to make sure she used this special ammo for her first hunt, as Ernie is a very special person to our family. He died at the age of 93 a few years back.
This was Jessica's first hunt. Meredith & I had a great time with her and our good Christian friends Dave and Sally. We stayed with Dave and Sally at their house and hunted their and their neighbors land. Sally cooked for us. She and Dave spoiled us the whole time we were there.
Photo # 1. This is Jessica's first buck, Yes, she killed the largest buck on the trip. That is exactly what her mother prayed for and God answered it. She was so excited and a true sport to stick with .....a true blessing to all of us and as Dave said, "she's a kick in the pants". We have been planning this hunt for a couple of years now and it was sure worth the wait.
Photo # 2. Jessica shot this doe at 351 yards, according to my rangefinder. She was using her Mom's 25-06, with 120 grain handloads, which were made by her "adopted" Great Grand Father Ernie, before he went to be with his Lord. I wanted to make sure she used this special ammo for her first hunt, as Ernie is a very special person to our family. He died at the age of 93 a few years back.
23,604
Dave & Sally love to hunt and just got back from a Arctic hunt. They killed three caribou and a barren ground Grizzly, Dave's second. Dave showed me his antler collection and I was amazed and I only saw part of them. Out of 44 elk permits, he has killed 42 elk. That is downright incredible...........Wow.
Thanks to Dave and Sally and their ATV's the drags were easy.....Meredith said, I like this type of hunting.
This was a very special hunt and we Thank God for His blessings.
Congrats my friend.
Brett
Great friends, family, and loved ones enjoying the GREAT outdoors together and what it provides.....can't ask for ANYTHING else, can we?!
Thanks Hiker. The story and pics made my night!
The wind was horrible on the last day and at times the shot would move 10" per 100 yards, so needless to say we went through some ammo and frustration but thankfully it all worked out and no animals were left on the mountain wounded.I had winds like that when I used to hunt in the Laramie, WY area but don't remember the shots moving that much.
Ronald
Coloradobuck, ::wel to Muley Madness.
Abert, I'm looking forward to meeting you too, your brother has told me a lot about you. My brother Mark and I hunted together for many years. I think it's great to hunt with siblings, as we know how to stretch each other. Maybe next fall, we all can hook up before you guys head up to the high country.
Later the next day, we got Dad's buck and doe. I tried, but didn't see anything I really liked except this huge and very tall buck. I wasn't able to get a shot on him though. Mom saw him too and had her eyes on him so she called him her buck. We had a "little fight" over him, even though no one got him.
The next day, our final day, I was determined to do my best to get a buck. As soon as I walked outside, I knew it would be tough day to hunt. It was very windy. Mom was able to get a shot on a nice buck. After gutting mom's antelope dad went down to the barn to start skinning the antelope for the trip home to Castle Rock.
Mr. Wesen and I decided to go out "scouting" for a nice buck. Hardly out of the drive way, we saw what we were looking for. The buck was nice yet very skittish. He went over a ridge and we couldn't see him any more. He popped out on the other side of the road and then he bedded in the middle of the field. He thought we couldn't see him, but we could. It was less than an 100 yard shot and boy was I excited. The wind started back up and I shot..... The bullet landed in the dust right behind him and I tried again. I missed about four times because the wind kept moving my bullet sideways and then he got up and ran. We chased after him to the next field and then we couldn't see him. I was so mad. Mr. Wesen was sad too, because he said to Dad when we got back, "I don't want to tell her, but that was a nice buck." I felt like the Lord just didn't want me to get a buck. We were packing up to leave, when Mrs. Wesen said, "I just cleaned my glasses and I still don't see anymore antelope. Jeppers! Jessica come here. Isn't that your buck walking up to the field?" I jumped up and said,"WHAT?" Sure enough, it was my buck. Mrs. Wesen got Mr. Wesen and we put all our gear on and I got my gun and more bullets. We snuck up to a nearby ridge, which made my shot about 250 yards. I got to the top of the ridge and asked Mr. Wesen to back me up. I got my gun ready and started to focus on my breathing. I said a quick prayer that the Lord would stop the wind for a secound so I could shoot. The wind died and I shot. I missed and I quickly re-loaded. I shot again and I hit him right in the "broiler room" as Mrs. Wesen would call it! He slowly got up and looked around. He had no idea what had hit him. He fell to the ground. I screamed in surprise! I jumped up and gave Mr. Wesen a hug! I couldn't believe it.I was so excited and when Mom, Mrs. Wesen and Dad came, I told them that my buck was bigger than both Mom and Dad's! They were so excited and I really couldn't stop smiling. We went back to the house, put him in the truck and we packed the rest of the stuff. As we drove home, I recalled what a blast I had! I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR AND HOPEFULLY I CAN GET A EVEN BIGGER BUCK!~!
Jessica
Thanks for the story, sounds like your dad is teaching you well. Keep up the good work.
Again, congrats on harvesting a fine lookin' buck! I'm man enough to say that "I'M JEALOUS".
and your welcom
Ronald
I have been applying for her in other states to build up her points so she can draw some good tags so we can experience that as a family before she loads up her saddle, gets married and starts raising a family of her own. It will be here before we know it......kids grow up so fast.
Can't wait to get back out this fall with my family.